Teaching Autonomy: Does Spanish Education System Achieve the Desired Effect?

Abstract

Despite the Spanish curriculum for primary education establishes compulsory and elective subjects in order to promote teacher autonomy; curricular management is achieving the opposite of the desired effect according to teachers. This study aims statistically comparing the autonomy of educators who teach compulsory subjects and who only impart elective subjects. The method comprises a nonexperimental quantitative research design, establishing a random cluster sampling that has statistical representativeness from national standpoint. Results demonstrate that teachers who only impart elective subjects perceive a greater enjoyment toward pedagogical activity than the other group. In conclusion, it is reasonable to put the Spanish curriculum under scrutiny because its effectiveness for fostering the teacher autonomy is questioned.